Sliding door



May 11 ,1926. 1,584,289

: H.HANSEN SLIDING DOOR Filed August 19, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 11 ,1926. 1,584,289

H. HANSEN SLIDING DOOR Filed August 19, 1924 2 sheets shee 2 M5655 Q gwumm Patented May 11, 1926.

UNITED sitar SLIDING DOOR.

Application filed August 19, 1924. SerialNo. 732,975.

This invention appertains to railroad rolling stock and more specifically to means for opening and closing sliding doors such as used on freight cars, and the like.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide novel means for efliciently opening and closing a sliding freight car door with a minimum amount of energy and without difficulties heretobefore experienced in the opening and closing of said doors, such as the forcing open of the doors by the use ofcrowbars and the like.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an upper track for receiving the suspending roller brackets of the door having a rack bar and a pinion carried by the door for engaging the rack bar, and novel means for rotating the pinion in either direction for bringing about the" desired sliding movement of the door.

A further object of theinvention-is to provide means for locking the pinion oper ating means against movement, whereby the door will be firmly held in an adjusted position. 1

it still further object of the invention is to provide an improved door operator of the above character, which will be durable and eflicient inuse, one that will be simple and easy to manufacture, and one which can be placed upon the market and incorporated with a railroad car at a minimum cost.

it-h these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,in which drawings 1- Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a freight car showing the improved door opening and closing mechanism incorporated therewith, the sliding door being shown in its closed position,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical section through the freight car taken on the line 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a. detailed fragmentary section taken through one of the supporting roller brackets on the line 33 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on the lines 44 of Figure 3,-

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the mechanism for actuating the pinion, and

Figure 6 is a detailed section taken on the line 6--6 of Figure 2 illustrating the operating pinion.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A. generally indicates a freight car having a door opening 5 which is adapted to be closed by the usual type of sliding door 6. The doorfi is adapted to be opened and closed by the improved means B which will now be described.

The means 13 is adapted to be associated with the usual type of freight oars and freight car doors and thus no change is necessary in the construction of the cars or their doors.

Arranged above the door opening 5 is the longitudinally extending sup-porting track 7 and below the door opening the longitudinally extending guide track 8. The supporting track 7 1s riveted or otherwise secured to the side wall of the car A and is provided with an attaching flange 9, a right angularly disposed horizontally arranged flange '10, and an upwardly extending flange 11, which is provided with rack teeth 12. The guide track 8 canconsist of an attaching flange 13, the horizontally disposed flange 14, and the upstanding flange "15, or the usual type of supporting brackets (not shown) can be used in lieu of the said guide track.

The door 6 has bolted or otherwise secured thereto as at 16 adjacent to the opposite upper corners thereof the supporting roller brackets 17 which are provided with hooked upper ends 18 for a purpose, which-will be nowdescribed. The hooked end 18 of the brackets 17 and the body portion thereof supportsa stub shaft or axle 20 on which is rotatably mounted a[ toothed roller 21,

which is adapted to travel over the rack bar or teeth formed on the upstanding flange 11. The body portion of the roller brackets 17 also carries an anti-friction roller 22 which is adapted to engage the lower surface of the horizontally disposed flange 10 of the track 7.

Disposed intermediate the suspending anu supporting roller brackets 17 is arranged a relatively large bracket 23 which embodies a body portion 25 and a hooked upper extension 26. The hooked upper extension 26 of the body portion 25 rotatably receives an operating shaft 27 and the shaft 27 has keyed or otherwise secured thereto intermediate the hooked extension 26 and the body portion 25 of the bracket the operating pinion 28 which is adapted to engage the teeth or rack bar formed on the flange 11. The shaft 27 protrudes forwardly from the body portion 25 of the bracket 28 and has keyed or otherwise secured thereto a toothed wheel 30, the sides of which are adapted to be engaged by the teeth of a double ended dog 31. This dog 51 is pivotally secured intermediate its ends to a head 33 formed on the upper end of an operating lever 84. This head 83 is provided with an axial opening which rotatably receives the shaft 27. It is obvious that by moving and holding one of the teeth in engagement with the toothed wheel 30 that p the shaft can be rotated in one direction and that by permitting the other tooth, to engage the toothed wheel that the shaft can be rotated in the opposite direction. Of course the rotation of the shaft 27 turns the operating pinion 28 which will slide the door 6 on the track 7 The lever 34 is in the nature of a ratchet lever and the dog is adapted to slide over the toothed wheel when the lever is swung back to permit the pawl in use to engage a new tooth on the toothed wheel 30 and thus the door can be opened by moving the lever 34: back and forth.

In order to hold the desired tooth of the double ended dog in engagement with the ratchet wheel a spring pressed holding pawl 32 is provided, which is adapted to engage the oppositely inclined faces 36 formed on one end of the dog 31. It can be seen that when the pawl 32 is in engagement with one inclined face that one tooth will be held into engagement with the wheel 30 and that when the tooth is in engagement with the other inclined face that the other tooth will be held in engagement with the wheel. A pull rod 37 is provided in order to permit the rocking of the dog 81 so that the desired tooth can be brought into engageicnt with the wheel. If so desired the lever 34 can be positively held against movement by the use of a suitable locking pin or the like 40 which can be inserted through the free end of the lever and into the door.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that I have provided an improved door operating mechanism for freight cars which is durable and efficient in use, and one which can be used with the ordinary types of freight cars and doors without any change therein.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of this invention, but

What I claim as new is 1. The combination with a railroad car having a door opening therein, a track secured to the car above the door opening, a door for closing the door opening, roller brackets connecting the door with the track, and guiding means carried by the car for engaging the lower end of the door, of means for opening and closing the door embodying a main supporting bracket secured to the door adjacent to the upper end thereof, a rotatable shaft carried by the main supporting bracket, a rack bar formed on the supporting track, an operating pinion secured to the shaft and meshing with the rack bar, :1 depending lever, a head formed on the lever rotatably mounted upon the shaft, a double ended dog pivotedly secured to the head of the lever, a toothed wheel secured to the shaft between the teeth of the dog and means for normally holding one tooth of the dog in engagement with the toothed wheel when so desired.

2. The combination with a sliding door, a supporting track therefor having a rack bar formed thereon, and supporting roller brackets carried by the door engaging the track, means for opening and closing the door embodying a main supporting bracket, a shaft rotatably carried by the supporting bracket, an operating pinion keyed to the shaft engaging the rack bar, a depending lever having a head formed on theupper end thereof rotatably mounted upon the shaft, a toothed wheel connected with the shaft, a double ended dog connected to the head with one tooth thereof disposed on each sideof the toothed wheel, means enthe dog for normally holding the desired tooth in engagement with the toothed wheel. and means for rocking the dog.

3. The combination with an overhead track including a horizontal flange, an attaching flange formed on the inner edge of the horizontal flange, and oppositely extending flanges formed on the outer edge of the horizontal flange, one of said last mentioned flanges being provided with rack teeth. a sliding door, roller bearings carried by the door and engaging the horizontal flange and the other of said oppositely extending flanges, a bracket carried by the door, an operating pinion engaging the rack teeth, rotatably supported by the bracket and means for operating said pinion for moving the door in either direction along said track.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HANS HANSEN. 

